Fan coffeehouse reaches a crossroads

Crossroads Coffee & Ice Cream at 26 N. Morris St. is for sale as owner Will Herring shifts his focus to the restaurant’s original location on Forest Hill Avenue.

“We have been exploring options on that location for some time, because I have some exciting ideas for expanding the Forest Hill location,” Herring said.

Crossroads’ Fan location opened in June 2007. Herring owns the property on Morris Street through Beagle Holdings LLC. The 1,500-square-foot coffeehouse sits on about two-tenths of an acre near Morris and Main streets.

The Forest Hill location opened about 11 years ago. Herring mentioned adding to the restaurant’s outdoor seating, expanding the kitchen and tweaking the menu among his plans for expanding the Southside shop. That property is not owned by Crossroads.

Crossroads in the Fan will remain open while the property is on the market, Herring said.

Commonwealth Commercial broker Jim McVey has the listing. Neither McVey nor Herring would give the asking price for the property.

The property has already drawn interest from at least one local entrepreneur. Alchemy Coffee founder Eric Spivack is interested in a storefront for his mobile coffee shop startup. He said he is working on an offer for the Morris Street property and would rebrand Crossroads as his own brick-and-mortar coffeehouse.

“I’ve had the idea in the back of my head, but when I heard Crossroads was available, it’s something that’s kind of too good to pass up,” Spivack said. “Perfect pairing of a business that has good foot traffic and a captive audience.”

One Comment »

So long Crossroads, you dirty, filthy study hall. Alchemy should be a great addition to the coffee scene here in Richmond, their little cart puts out a great product. I just hope they keep it simple with their coffee (no large cappuccinos or gross flavored syrups) and keep it focused on coffee and not another laptop wasteland. Richmond needs more adult-modern cafes, it is time to say goodbye to the infested junky couch filled deadbeat crappy coffee hangouts.